Imagination is freedom…on writing, self-publishing and all things fantasy

Category Archives: Blogging

Hi Blog! My name is Jasmine Angell and it’s nice to meet you. I feel introductions are in order since it’s been far too long since I’ve, well, blogged. It’s not that I didn’t have anything to report in 2016 because I did. 2016 was an awesome year and I set some challenging goals for myself which I can’t wait to tell you about. I took a year off from writing novels to work on short stories and it seems I took a year off from posting in my blog as well. After three years of publishing novels, my inner hermit decided it was time to retreat and recharge. The good news is that I’m back and I’m excited to share with you all my adventures in 2016 as well as tell you about what I’m looking forward to in 2017.

Since this is my first post after my extended absence, I’m going to take baby steps and keep this post short. But I do want to geek out for one second and tell you how excited I am for one particular movie premiering this summer. Can you guess??

That’s the one! Wonder Woman! I know I’m not alone on this because I’ve read tons of blogs on how the world has been waiting…and waiting…and waiting for Wonder Woman to hit the big screen. We’ve waited through I don’t know how many Batman films and Spider-Man remakes. We’ve been more than patient through the last fifteen years of super hero movies featuring popular and obscure male heroes. The rare female super hero movies have been less than stellar (Elektra comes to mind) and through it all, Wonder Woman fans have been teased by rumors of failed screenplays and rejected TV pilots. We want Wonder Woman on the big screen!!

Since I’m a lifelong Trekkie, I’m thrilled that Chris Pine has left the bridge of the Enterprise long enough to bring Steve Trevor to life opposite Gal Gadot (and then he must return to stardate 2263 ASAP). Wonder Woman’s onscreen debut in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice was my favorite thing about the movie but I want more!! Come June 2017, I’ll be at the movie theater with all the other fans taking a cinematic journey to Themyscira to see where it all began for Diana Prince!

I’ve been nominated for an award! The Liebster Award, to be exact. As many of you may know, the award is bestowed on bloggers by other bloggers and was originally created to discover and recognize new bloggers as a warm welcome to the blogosphere.

I want to thank fellow blogger, Sara C. Snider, who nominated me for the award. I first met Sara last fall after the publication of my debut novel, Luminous, and she posted my first author interview on her website as a way to help promote my book. Sara is a talented writer and new author herself. I’m excited to check out her new fantasy novel, The Thirteen Tower, now available on Amazon.com. It’s great to be a member of a community of fledgling authors on the internet and I’m thankful for the support and encouragement I’m able to give and receive.

In order to accept the Liebster Award, a set of guidelines must be met as follows:
1. List 11 random facts about myself.
2. Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated me.
3. Nominate 5 – 10 more blogs who have less than 300 followers and let them know they’ve been nominated.
4. Post 11 new questions for those bloggers to answer (if they wish to accept the award — it’s completely optional).

Eleven random facts about me:
1. I love my blender and got into blending my own protein shakes about two years ago
2. I’m squeamish about raw meat and wear disposable gloves when I prepare meat dishes (ew, ew, ew)
3. I have a bad habit of chewing on straws
4. I like winter better than summer but my favorite season is autumn
5. I prefer snowboarding to skiing
6. My favorite snack is combining something salty and crunchy with something chewy (ie. Starbursts and popcorn, mmm…)
7. I have an unhealthy addiction to fruit chews
8. I do Pilates on a regular basis
9. I haven’t had a flying dream in eight months
10. I can’t stand to wear flip flops because of the piece of plastic that goes between my toes

11. I love cold pizza.

Eleven new questions from the blogger who nominated me:
1. What accomplishment are you most proud of? Publishing my novel, Luminous, fulfilled a lifelong dream and was the first step toward bringing my Psyne series to a larger readership.
2. What was your first job? In high school, I worked after school as a part-time secretary at a law firm.
3. What’s at the top of your bucket list? It’s a tie between wearing a fancy hat while watching the Kentucky Derby in person at Churchill Downs and watching the Drum Core International (DCI) competition in Madison, Wisconsin. They are testaments to my love of horses and flag lines. Go color guard!
4. What is one of your favorite memories? Holding my newborn son in my arms on the morning I was to take him home from the hospital. As I stared out of the window of our hospital room, it started to snow. Big, fluffy, feather-like snowflakes drifted down from the sky and everything was quiet and perfect. Definitely one of my favorite memories.
5. What made you start blogging? I started blogging two weeks after I self-published my first novel in the Psyne series, Luminous. Most authors have a blog and it’s a great way to talk about my writing, upcoming books and other things I’m interested in as well as meet other authors, writers and bloggers in this phenomenal cyber community.
6. Who is your favorite fictional character? It would have to be the Black, the Arabian horse from Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series. Those books solidified my love of horses, my love of reading books and my desire to be the author of a series of books one day.
7. Any phobias or things you find irrationally creepy? Oh yes, and there are way too many to list!
8. Do you have a favorite quote? If so, what is it? “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” – Albert Einstein
9. What song(s) would you like to have on the soundtrack of your life? Anything by Loreena McKennitt
10. What is the best place you’ve visited? Mammoth Hot springs in Yellowstone Park because the hot springs were like something from an alien planet and it felt like the sky was so close that I could reach up and touch it.
11. Lastly, pie or cake? Pie, more specifically, my mom’s pumpkin pie

Eleven New Questions for my Nominees (if they choose to accept):
1. What was the last movie you saw in the movie theater and would you recommend it to a friend?
2. What are your biggest pet peeves?
3. When do you normally write posts for your blog, day or night?
4. Take a step back in time and think about your high-school-aged self. What would that high school student think of you now?
5. What is your personal philosophy about blogging?
6. Who was your favorite teacher during your school years?
7. What is the most unusual cake you’ve ever seen in real life?
8. If you were a super hero, who would you choose to be?
9. Which would you choose: a mountain retreat or a beach escape?
10. What is the most unusual gift you’ve ever bought someone?
11. If you could immerse yourself in any foreign culture, what would it be?